Choe received his BS in ECE in '86. He then worked on the Maverick missile at Hughes Aircraft, next in semiconductor sales at Integrated Device Technology and after that in sales and sales mgmt at several semiconductor companies. In 1996 he started Norcomp inspired by company trends of using independent sales orgs or manufacturers reps – except his company had engineers with design experience.

Diego Rey received his BS in ECE from UCSB in 2008. He is the founder of GeneWEAVE, a company acquired by Roche Molecular Diagnostics in 2015. GeneWeave takes on drug-resistant bacteria by using novel Smarticles™ technology to build solutions to give healthcare providers the tools needed to guide treatment and keep patients safe from the threat of bacterial infections.

Mr. Gerngross holds an M.S. in ECE ('82) from UCSB and a B.S. in Math from Boston U. He founded Santa Barbara-based Condor Engineering in 1989, which was a supplier of avionics databus tools and solutions. The company’s product portfolio included embedded, test, and simulation interfaces for commercial and military avionics databuses. Condor was acquired by GE Intelligent Platforms in 2006.

Jose Hernández received his M.S. in ECE from UCSB in 1986. He was an astronaut for NASA during space flight STS-128 Discovery and helped establish the Reaching for the Stars Foundation to inspire young people to learn math and science.

Jeff Blokker received a B.S. ('80) & M.S. ('84) in EE from UCSB. He was a research ass't. for Nobel Laureate Herb Kroemer investigating GaAs device fabrication. He formed CableSoft, Inc. in 1984 and is currently a software consultant. His expertise is in material, software development, networks including wireless & advanced computing.

Professor Emeritus Petar Kokotovic joined the ECE department in 1991. He helped form and went on to direct until 2003 what is now the Center for Control, Dynamical Systems, and Computation. His research focused on nonlinear control (robust and adaptive) and he is one of the highly cited authors in his field and in engineering.

Wong received his BSEE, MSEE, and PhD from UCSB. He went on to be involved in multiple start-ups, including D2 Technologies, for which he is the current CEO and chairman. He helped spearhead the College's (CoE) Technology Management Program and serves on 3 CoE boards. He was presented the 2007 CoE Alumni Award.

Schlageter, a graduate of ECE's first class in 1965. He designed integrated circuits for GE, Fairchild Semiconductor, AMD and Actel. At Actel he was responsible for the development of the CMOS Field Programmable Gate Array ICs on the '97 Mars Pathfinder mission.

Professor Emeritus Matthaei came to UCSB in 1964 when the department had just been formed. Matthaei is an IEEE Fellow and member of Sigma Xi and Tau Beta Pi. He worked for the ECE department for 27 years until he retired in 1991.

Prof. Kroemer has been a faculty member since 1976. He is a leader in compound semiconductor technology and molecular beam epitaxy. In 2000 he received the Nobel Prize in Physics and in 2002 he also received the IEEE Medal of Honor. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences.

Monticelli received his BSEE from UCSB in 1974. He joined National Semiconductor upon graduation and for 16 years he worked as both as a circuit designer and design manager. Later he led the Power Management business unit, was promoted to VP in 1995, and named a Fellow in 2000. Following the acquisition of National Semiconductor by Texas Instruments in 2011, he was named at TI Fellow.

Yulun Wang received his Ph.D. in EE in 1988. He has since founded two companies – Computer Motion and InTouch Technologies. He also invented the first FDA-approved surgical robot. Wang is involved with the College and ECE as an advisor, donor, mentor, and recruiter. In 2009 he was recognized with the College's Alumni Award.

Prof. Emeritus Roger Wood played an instrumental role in making the College and ECE dept. the examples of excellence they are today. During his tenure at the UCSB, Wood received the Mortar Board Prof. of the Year award, the UCSB Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award, and the UCSB Affiliates Prof. of the Year Award.

The ECE Current Newsletter

The ECE Current is the ECE Department's annual newsletter with feature articles, news, and spotlights.

Profiles of Distinction and Giving Back to ECE

My motivation to give back to my alma mater is primarily in two areas. First, it’s a measure of my appreciation. Without UCSB, I wouldn’t have gotten to where I went in my life. I’m very appreciative of everything the University has given me, both in terms of education and of the people who supported me throughout my life. For me it’s very important to give back and show that appreciation. Secondly, I enjoy doing it. When I write the check, I feel good. When I write the check, I know I’m helping future engineers get out there. John Gerngross, M.S. ('82)

What motivates me [to give back] is just motivating kids to reach their full potential. Jose Hernandez, M.S. ('86)

I would encourage ECE alumni to come back if they have the opportunity and find something that interests them and spend the time to make a simple donation because it will pay back beyond what you can imagine." Jeff Blokker, B.S. ('80), M.S. ('84)

"You’re going to wear the UCSB badge for the rest of your life, so it’s important that the school continues to thrive and do well. More importantly, it’s amazing how a little money can go a long way in a student’s life. So if you’re inclined to give, any amount can make a big difference in the life of a struggling student in this day and age." Dr. Bobby Brar, M.S. ('92), Ph.D. ('95)

"In terms of giving back, to me, I don’t give back for a reason. Giving is a privilege. Giving is its own reward... I would certainly like to see more students be given the same opportunities I was given." Dr. David Wong, BS ('73), MS ('75), Ph.D. ('79)

"I think the main thing is to contribute. And with regard to time, there are unique situations where some can help a lot with their special expertise." Professor Emeritus, George Matthaei

"Make UCSB, particularly Engineering, better known. Spread the word! Wherever they can, spread the good word. And, of course, if they are willing to give money, the more, the better." Professor and Nobel Prize Laureate, Herbert Kroemer

"Spread the word. Tell people how good your education was, particularly if you're talking to people with children who are looking for a good school." Professor Emeritus, Roger Wood

Giving to ECE

We invite you to make a gift to ECE — your generosity is instrumental in our ability to educate the next generation of leaders whose future endeavors will have a profound impact on society.

For more information or to designate your gift within the ECE Department, please contact Steve Ramirez at 805-893-4579 or steve.ramirez@ucsb.edu.

Thank you for supporting UCSB ECE

Roger C. Wood Endowment

The Roger C. Wood Endowment was established by a group of alumni and friends from the ECE Dept. to honor and recognize Wood’s contributions to their lives and to the campus. Through his sustained accomplishments in research, service, teaching, and advising, Prof. Wood played an instrumental role in making the Department the example of excellence it is today.

When he was asked about what sparked his passion for teaching and mentoring students, Wood stated, “I was raised to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Respect other people. Pay attention. Figure out what they need, what is important. One of the great rewards is seeing the light bulb go on when someone is stumbling around with something. It’s extremely gratifying as a teacher to help them through something that is difficult.” Through this endowment, Roger’s friends pay homage to his generosity and selfless dedication to his students and colleagues. The endowment will be used to provide fellowships to exceptional undergraduate sophomore and juniors with majors in EE and CE.